Gritty Parenting: The Development and Validation of the Parental Grit Scale

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to expand the domain specificity of grit by exploring it in the realm of parenting. Parental grit was defined as parents’ inclination to demonstrate perseverance, sustained passion, and adaptability in pursuing long-term parenting goals. With longitudinal data from 1,373 U.S. parents, we developed and validated the Parental Grit Scale (PGS) in three phases: item development and revision, establishment of factor structure, and examination of criterion-related and incremental validity. The PGS exhibited a three-factor structure and (partial) scalar measurement invariance across genders, the status of the child’s special needs, and measurement occasions. The PGS demonstrated moderate temporal stability. We found evidence of its validity in predicting parental emotional exhaustion, self-efficacy, autonomy support, and parents’ perceptions of children’s school well-being. Parental grit explained variance in these outcomes beyond domain-general grit and conscientiousness. The PGS has sound psychometric properties and is a valuable measure in the parenting domain.